Interferometry techniques are used for testing surfaces of optical elements. In one interferometry test configuration, known as a Fizeau interferometer, a plane parallel wavefront is used to test flat optics. There are several such devices available from manufacturers and most commonly have a 4 inch diameter aperture. When a measurement is required on a larger flat, it is often accomplished by coupling one of these common 4 inch Fizeau interferometers to a beam expander.
Commercially available beam expanders are typically made from large refractive elements. One of the purposes of using refractive optics in interferometry techniques is to guide light through the interferometer system. However, refractive optical elements tend to produce beam scattering which degrades the quality of the interferometer output measurements. Moreover, functionalities of refractive optics are dependent on the wavelength of operation. As such, the interferometer system needs to be adjusted for a specific wavelength every time the operational wavelength is changed.